In the wake of questions surrounding the income earned by Zomato’s delivery partners, founder Deepinder Goyal has been very vocal in defending the gig business model. He said: “In 2025, the average hourly compensation earned by Zomato’s delivery partners is pegged to rise by 10.9% to ₹102 from ₹92 in 2024.”

This information was shared by Deepinder Goyal on the social media platform X. According to him, "If a delivery partner is working for 10 hours a day and 26 days a month, then the total earn for the month is approximately 26,500. And when you take away the fuel and maintenance cost, then the net earn is 21,000. This is considering login time, which includes waiting time."

Goyal made it clear that the gig model offered by Zomato is not an alternative to employment but an additional source of revenue. In 2025, the average delivery partner worked 38 days, while only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250 days. He said that demanding full-time benefits like PF or a fixed salary from gig workers goes against the spirit of this model.

Goyal wrote, "Riders' apps don't have a timer, nor do they know the delivery time indicated to the customer. We don't ask riders to drive fast." Explaining the mathematics of this process, he wrote, "After placing an order on Blinkit, your goods are packed within 2.5 minutes. The delivery person then covers a distance of less than 2 kilometers in approximately 8 minutes, an average speed of 16 kilometers per hour."

On the issue of safety, Goyal stated that all delivery partners have medical and life insurance. According to Goyal, Zomato and Blinkit spent over ₹100 crore on delivery partner insurance in 2025. This includes accident insurance up to ₹10 lakh, medical cover of ₹1 lakh, and loss-of-pay insurance. Benefits such as period rest days for women, income tax filing assistance, and the National Pension Scheme are also being provided. Furthermore, riders are not penalized for delivery delays. He shared statistics showing that 65% of riders quit annually, proving that this is a temporary occupation.

In the wake of questions surrounding the income earned by Zomato’s delivery partners, founder Deepinder Goyal has been very vocal in defending the gig business model. He said: “In 2025, the average hourly compensation earned by Zomato’s delivery partners is pegged to rise by 10.9% to ₹102 from ₹92 in 2024.”

This information was shared by Deepinder Goyal on the social media platform X. According to him, "If a delivery partner is working for 10 hours a day and 26 days a month, then the total earn for the month is approximately 26,500. And when you take away the fuel and maintenance cost, then the net earn is 21,000. This is considering login time, which includes waiting time."

Goyal made it clear that the gig model offered by Zomato is not an alternative to employment but an additional source of revenue. In 2025, the average delivery partner worked 38 days, while only 2.3% of partners worked more than 250 days. He said that demanding full-time benefits like PF or a fixed salary from gig workers goes against the spirit of this model.

Goyal wrote, "Riders' apps don't have a timer, nor do they know the delivery time indicated to the customer. We don't ask riders to drive fast." Explaining the mathematics of this process, he wrote, "After placing an order on Blinkit, your goods are packed within 2.5 minutes. The delivery person then covers a distance of less than 2 kilometers in approximately 8 minutes, an average speed of 16 kilometers per hour."

On the issue of safety, Goyal stated that all delivery partners have medical and life insurance. According to Goyal, Zomato and Blinkit spent over ₹100 crore on delivery partner insurance in 2025. This includes accident insurance up to ₹10 lakh, medical cover of ₹1 lakh, and loss-of-pay insurance. Benefits such as period rest days for women, income tax filing assistance, and the National Pension Scheme are also being provided. Furthermore, riders are not penalized for delivery delays. He shared statistics showing that 65% of riders quit annually, proving that this is a temporary occupation.